On a Train Bound for Nowhere, You Stick Together
by Both Artemis and Athena
Summary: Tim and Tony have known each other for AGES, and their new freind Jimmy makes three "brothers". Kate, Ziva, and Abby are best friends and closer than sisters. Jenny and Gibbs have just moved to the new state of Kansas and have always wanted a child of their own. But maybe things won't come out just as perfect as it looks like they could. Very AU Kidfic. Rated T because I'm paranoid
1. Chapter 1

** Alright, this has been bouncing around in my head cluttering up space that probably should be devoted to grades(according to my report card:P) It's probably not that great but I figured why not? No matter how much I wish I own NCIS, I'm afraid I don't. **

**Here's the scoop:**

**Tony: 9 years old but he calls himself 10**

**Kate: 10 years old**

**Tim: 7 "and a half!"**

**Ziva: she doesn't know whether she's 6 or 7**

**Jimmy: 6 years old**

**Abby: 4 years old**

**On with the show…..**

The train is the loudest thing either of the two boys sitting on the platform have ever heard. Tony watches, amused, as Tim stares at it with wide eyes. Tim is like a little brother to him. They've known each other forever, or at least it seems like that.

Tim McGee and Tony DiNozzo are both orphans. They met when they were both living on the street, and had been sent to the orphanage as ages five and seven. After had spending two awful years there together, they were selected to be put on an orphan train bound west. Tony, though he teases Tim relentlessly, is fiercely protective of him, and Tim looks up to Tony.

"Tony?" Tim asked, his voice almost shaking. "Do…do you think it'll work? The _plan_?"

"Shh!" Tony said harshly. "Of course it'll work, McWorryPants! But we'll get found out if you don't keep quiet!"

"Sorry," Tim said. "I just…" he was interrupted by the man who had told them to call him James ushered them onto the train.

"K-Kate, we're not gonna get split up, right?" Abby asked, pulling on her older friend's sleeve. Kate was standing on her tip-toes and trying to see what was going on around them.

"Of course we are not, Abby," her only other friend, Ziva said. "We will all stay together, even if it means we must run away." This grabbed Kate's attention.

"Ziva!" Kate said. "Don't put ideas into her head!"

Abby looked panicked. "We're not gonna run away, right? We're gonna get adopted, by a mommy and a daddy. Right?" she begged, looking for reassurance.

"Of course, Abby," Kate said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Abby, being only four and not knowing when she was being lied to, accepted the answer as a fact and began playing with her only possession, a torn up doll. Ziva, though, had her fair share of experiences where she was lied to, and she saw the lying look in Kate's eye. The two older girls shared a look and nodded, confirming their plan. If they were to get split up, one of them would stay with Abby no matter what, and the other would try to keep in touch.

Kate had been sent to the orphanage by her mother when she turned five, and she had been in the orphanage for another five years. Ziva had been her first truly close friend, and they both latched onto Abby with their hearts. After her family immigrated to America when she was young, Ziva had been abandoned on the streets. She had grown up there for the better part of her life, learning how to take care of herself in the process. She didn't know exactly how old she was, but she did know she was either six or seven. She didn't even know her real birthday. With help from Kate, she had picked the date out herself. But she didn't let it bother her much, but it was kind of scary, not knowing how old she was. Abby had been left at the orphanage when she was still a baby, with all of her birth information written on a note, along with a letter from her birth mother. She kept the note in the pocket of her doll's dress. The three of them were closer than sisters, but the coming adventure would test their bonds to the max.

They were being sent on the orphan train. This was their last chance to make it together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you SO MUCH to all those who reviewed! It's really awesome to see how others think of my story. **

**Again, I own nothing but a goldfish, and last I checked the goldfish doesn't own NCIS either.**

**Now, to continue our tale…**

Once she was on the train, Ziva immediately decided she didn't like it. The cars were small and crowded and you had to stay in your seat for a long time. Mostly she just sighed and glared out the window.

Abby, on the other hand, found the train fascinating. They were moving really fast and when she watched out the window she could see all sorts of things.

"Look, Marie," she said to her doll. "There's cows out the window! Ziva, Kate, look what Marie and I found. Cows!"

"That's nice, Abby," Kate said distractedly. They had been on the train for about a day and a half and had already made two stops. She had watched as children were adopted away from their friends and family, some happy, some crying. Every time an adult walked by, she held her breath and squeezed Abby's hand. There had been one awful moment when someone had started talking to Ziva. Ziva, though, had acted confused and began talking in another language that Kate didn't know, and the person had quickly moved on.

Kate knew that there would be a total of seven stops on the train. Two were already past. She knew that the farther into the trip they got, the more likely it was that they would either not get adopted or get split up.

Unbenouced to Kate, the same sort of logic was going through Ziva's mind, though to a less in-depth extent. Ziva knew that the longer they stayed on the train, the greater the chances of them being split up.

Tony watched as Tim talked with his new friend Jimmy. On the train, children were placed three to a seat and Jimmy had been placed with them. Tim had been quick to adopt Jimmy as another brother, and Tony had followed soon after. The kid was a little odd, but he had a good heart and fit in well with them.

"Jimmy, have you ever been to New York?" Tim asked.

"No, have you?" Jimmy answered.

"I haven't either. But I heard about it. A kid I used to know said there's factories there as big as mountains!" Truth be told, Tim hadn't ever seen any mountains, either. He knew they were supposed to be really huge though. "Tony, have you ever been to New York?"

"As a matter of fact, I have," Tony lied. He knew Tim was smart, and that he would start thinking about what would happen to them if they split up. He had already questioned "the plan" several times.

Their plan was simple, really. They would tell anyone who thought about adopting them that they were brothers, and that they really didn't want to be separated. Now that Jimmy was included in the plan, though, it became harder, especially since none of them looked alike. They had to be careful when they said it, because if any of the people in charge of them heard them say it, they would be caught and the plan foiled.

"What's it like?" Jimmy asked with big eyes. And so Tony began to describe what he thought New York looked like, just to keep his brothers' minds busy while they made their way to the next stop.

Abby and Ziva both nervously held Kate's hands as they were unloaded from the train. While they waited to be lined up, the children milled around for a while. Kate, who was all at once trying to calm Abby and Ziva's fears as well as her own, was trying not to panic. As they walked around, stretching their legs, Abby bumped into a boy who was several years older than her. Because of the size difference between them, she fell to the ground.

"Sorry," he said, bending down to help her up. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Abby nodded tearfully. "I'm ok-kay," she said, trying not to cry. Kste immediately turned around and glared at the boy, but after she saw how flustered and upset he was that he had knocked Abby over, she decided that he didn't mean it.

"I'm Timothy McGee, but you can call me Tim," he said.

"I'm Abby," Abby said bouncily, her mood changing drastically after she decided that the boy could and would be her friend. "This is Ziva, and Kate. They're ,y bestest friends. You can be my friend, too!"

"Alright. These are my brothers, Tony and Jimmy." At this point, both groups had stopped. Knowing that they had a while before they were lined up to be adopted, they began chatting and made fast friends.

Kate looked knowingly at Tony while the younger children played. "Brothers?" she asked.

"You do what you have to," he said, shrugging. "I'm hoping it'll work."

"Yeah. We tried that for a while but…" Kate trailed off, sighing. "Ziva's from somewhere else, no one really knows. Abby and I really look nothing alike anyways."

"So what's your plan then?" Tony asked.

"We stand really close together, hold hands, and act like sisters. If someone looks at me, I speak in another language. If someone looks at Abby, she bursts out crying, which she is quite good at. If someone looks at Kate, she glares at them and acts very mean," Ziva said, becoming bored with the younger children. "But if one of us is adopted, we the other will stay with Abby no matter what."

"How's that working?" he asked.

"Pretty well, so far," Kate admitted. "I'm hoping it gets us adopted together, or at least sent back to the orphanage together."

"Well, I hope your plan works," Tony said.

"I hope yours works as well," Ziva said.

The children were called to line up and were led out onto the stage. Tony, Kate, and Ziva exchanged good lucks and found their younger comrades.

"You know, this is how they lined animals up to be sold and slaughtered in my homeland," Ziva said to Kate while they were sitting down.

"Ziva, you know too much for your age," Kate said, annoyed. "Now stop or you'll scare Abby!"

"Sorry," Ziva said, making a face. "I was just trying to start a conversation."

Kate didn't respond. Someone was coming towards them. It was a large woman in a very unflattering purple dress, with a large hat and even larger stomach. She bent down to Abby's level.

"Well aren't you the cutest thing!" she exclaimed, pinching Abby's cheek. Abby began sobbing. The woman backed up quickly, then turned to Kate, who was looking at Abby with concern.

"Oh, how sweet! Taking care of the little ones. Now, I've been looking for a young lady to take home with me. Would you like to be that young lady?"

"Depends," Kate said brusquely. "Are you looking for just one?"

"Oh, yes. I couldn't handle many more," the woman said.

"Then no," Kate said with a glare. "I would rather not, Bessie. Now moooove on before someone mistakes you for a cow."

The woman gasped, looking offended, before hurrying away from them. Kate sighed in relief.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, thank you to the wonderful folks who reviewed the last chapter. You dudes rock!**

**I don't even own the goldfish…it died. **

**Picking up from where we left off:**

Tim, Tony, and Jimmy watched as adults stopped to talk to the other children. They had to cover up their laughter as they watched the woman try to approach Abby, Kate, and Ziva.

"That's gotta be a good sign," Jimmy said decidedly. "Our plan'll work too!"

"I think it will!" Tim said.

Tony, though, was having other thoughts. As he watched a little boy be picked up, smiling, by what would obviously be his new father, he felt a little guilty. If it came down to it, he wondered if he would have to let Tim and Jimmy be adopted without him. He chewed his lip and hoped, for the first time, that someone would come and look at them. His brothers deserved a better life.

Ziva scowled as she stared out the window again, watching the moon sinking lower and lower on the horizon. Not only was she back on the train, but the only person to even spare them a glance that day had been the woman who only wanted one child. She glanced over her shoulder, to where Kate and Abby were both asleep. She made up her mind then and there, if no one came and considered adopting all of them tomorrow, she would give up on her part of the plan and try to get herself out of the way. The chances of two girls being adopted together were much greater than all three.

"Psst!"

She jumped, pulled out of her thoughts by the voice.

"Psst! Ziva! It's me, Tony!" sure enough, she could see Tony waving at her from three rows back. The only other person awake.

"What is it, Tony?" she asked. He glanced around, making sure everyone else was asleep, then stood up from his seat and moved quickly across the aisle to sit directly behind her in a seat that had been left empty by adopted children.

"I just wanted someone to talk to. We're the only people awake so…"

"I see. How did you three do today? Did anyone come to see you?"

"No, no one on our end. How about you?"

"Just one scarily large woman that considered Kate and Abby for a moment. Our plan worked."

"Oh yeah, I saw that. Pretty funny."

"Yes, her face was rather expensive after Kate snapped at her," Ziva said, giggling.

Tony looked at her, confused for a moment. "Oh! I think you meant priceless. Her face was priceless."

"Same difference," she said, rolling her eyes. They both stayed quiet for a moment. Looking out the window again, she smiled ruefully. "There are only four more stops, and neither of our families are making out well," she commented.

"That's true," he admitted. "I've been giving it some thought lately, more than I have in a while."

"As have I," Ziva said. "I just do not want one of the three of us left alone."

"Yeah, same here. I don't want Tim or Jimmy alone in some strange house, or if I get adopted, I don't want them going back to the orphanage alone. Jimmy acts like a bully-magnet and Tim and I have made enough enemies to make me worry about him," Tony said, glancing back at the two younger boys.

Ziva nodded. "I have the same feelings. Orphanages are dangerous places for young girls." She looked so depressed and alone, and his heart went out to her, just like it had to Tim and Jimmy when he had first met them.

Tony sighed sadly, wanting to help her but still wanting to protect his own little "family". Suddenly, he shot upright.

"I have an idea!"

She looked at him, smirking like he was crazy. "And what is this idea of yours?" she asked.

"Let's stick together," he said. "Like, merge our two groups. We all get along, and this way the chances of at least two of us getting adopted together are huge! At least no one would be alone."

She looked at him for a moment, considering her options. For her to agree would to basically be giving up all hope of her and her three "sisters" being adopted together, but what were the chances of that really happening, anyway? She chewed her lip. "It sounds like a good idea," she said slowly. "But I will have to run it by Kate and Abby in the morning. The chances of all of us getting adopted together are miniscule, though. You run a great risk of being separated from Tim and Jimmy. And I run a great risk of being separated from Kate and Abby."

"But this way, none of us are alone," he said. "Think about it. Then come and talk to me next time we're let off the train." He got up and went back to his seat.

Ziva sighed again and returned to looking out the window, the new choice weighing heavily on her mind.

"Are you crazy?" Kate gasped, looking at Ziva like she had lost her marbles. "What happened to the three of us being adopted together?"

"Kate, be quiet. We cannot have this conversation in front of Abby and she is still asleep," Ziva said patiently.

"Ziva, we can't join groups with them. We're all going to be adopted together!" Kate said, quieter this time. "Us three. Just like we always planned."

"Kate, what are the chances of that happening?" Ziva asked, crossing her arms. "What if one of us had to go alone? Would you want that? At least this way, the chances of us being adopted with a friend go up some."

Kate glared out the window for a moment. "Fine. But we're still trying."

Tony looked around expectantly while he, Tim, and Jimmy were waiting to be lined up. Finally, he caught sight of Ziva and her "family" coming towards them.

"Well?" he asked.

"We will "join up" with you, as you put it, but we will still try to be adopted with just us three. We will not try to be adopted as a whole group."

Tony nodded in understanding, looking at Kate, who was glaring hatefully at him. "I get it. I just don't want my little brothers to be alone."

Kate's look softened a bit. But she still glared. She didn't like Tony much, now that he had put the whole idea into Ziva's head and had made her pretty much give up hope of being adopted with her and Abby.

Abby, on the other hand, was delighted to see her new friends again. "TIMMY! JIMMY! TONY!" She squealed, hugging all of them. She sat down on the ground and pulled Tim down with her. She wasn't very strong, but he went along with it anyways. Jimmy soon followed, and Abby busied herself teaching them little hand games she knew.

Ziva and Tony chatted for a bit while Kate glared on, though her anger soon dissipated as a ten-year-old's usually does and she joined in the conversation. When they were lined up, the six stayed together and Kate had to admit, for the first time, she wasn't worried beyond belief that they would be separated. She was too busy talking with her friends, and for some reason, she felt that everything would work out. She didn't know how wrong she was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rvwrs: TYSM! U ROK! (hah, you got it in middle school texting-language there!)**

**Alright, so this chapter comes with a warning: it ain't a happy picture. But rest assured, I hate NONE of the NCIS characters and my logic will make sense in the end. I promise.**

**Again, I own nothing. At all…RIP Doodlebopper the Goldfish. **

That day, no one had looked at the loose alliance of six children or considered adopting any of them. The six, though, had grown closer. After several hours of standing together with nothing else to do, you get pretty tight. No longer were they just together for the "what if"s, they were together because they wanted to be. They were getting to be great friends.

The group of boys had taken over the seat behind the girls, though with only two stops left there was really no point in it. Tomorrow, the train ride would turn around and make a beeline back to where it had come from.

This was currently the topic for discussion between Ziva and Tony, who were both the last ones up again. "Tony, we will not go to the same orphanage. And chances are, Jimmy will be sent back to his, away from you as well. He will not survive." She said it without emotions, holding everything back. She was worried for all of them. "Tomorrow, we have the highest chances of being separated."

"I know," Tony said sadly. "I'm worried about Jimmy. All the other boys from his orphanage that are his age got adopted, just the scary-tough older guys are left. The kid's already a bully magnet. And I don't want us all to be split up into different orphanages after we made it this far!"

"I think it is time we change plans again," Ziva said. "But this time, we must keep it between us."

Tony looked at her, immediately suspicious. "Why?"

"Those of us who get adopted tomorrow will get adopted together. From this point out, none of us go alone. Those who do not get adopted will run," ZIva said simply.

"Ziva are you nuts?" Tony exclaimed. "We can't run!"

"Why not? I was trained to survive in terrain much like this, and you grew up on the streets. If not all of us get adopted tomorrow, the rest of us will run while they load the trains and try to make it back to where the others were adopted to."

"Ziva, I don't-" Tony never got to finish his thought. There was a loud thunk as the train doors were thrown open, and three men stepped into the car.

"EVERYBODY UP!" one of them shouted. They began moving down the aisle, banging on the walls and hitting people to wake them up. When they walked by Tony and Ziva, the two shared a look. The men had guns!

"Alright, this is how it's gonna go, folks," the man that appeared to be in charge said. "All your valuables in the bag, no exceptions! We don't want any trouble, and so long as you cooperate, no one gets hurt!" He waved the gun around.

Ziva looked to Abby, who was crying, and to Kate, who looked serious. The two other men began moving down the aisle carrying burlap sacks. When Kate looked away to start gathering her valuables and hiding certain things that she knew she could, Ziva, who had nothing to her name, glanced at Tony, who was helping Jimmy take off a gold watch. Tony looked up at her, eyes calm but worried.

"You!" One of the men shouted, and ZIva turned to see him pointing at Abby. "The doll."

Abby's eyes widened. "I-I…please, mister, not Marie."

"Now!" the man roared. When Abby hesitated again, he snatched the doll from her and stuffed it in the bag. Abby began sobbing.

"Good, good," the lead man said. "Now you," he said, pointing to Kate. "Up."

Kate stood slowly. "What do you want?" she asked calmly.

The lead man darted forward and grabbed her by the arm. "If any of you send the law after us, she dies!" he shouted, backing towards the train doors again.

And then, Ziva knew what she had to do. She looked at Tony, who met her eyes and shook his head emphatically. She mouthed the words "No one left alone" and looked at Abby. She squeezed Abby's hand and stood up.

"Take me instead."

The men stopped and shared a look. The lead man motioned to the lackey with the smaller bag. "Take her too, then," he said. The man grabbed Ziva and before anyone could stop them they jumped off the train.

"ZIVA! KATE!" Abby screamed, jumping up and running towards the door. Tony darted out and grabbed her just in time, pulling her into a tight hug. She began sobbing, because the unthinkable had happened.

Her sisters were gone.

Tony pulled her down onto the seat next to him and the two other boys. Tim looked at her and hugged her, feeling really bad for the little girl. She had just lost her only doll, which she was so attached to, the letter from her mother she had shown him, and her sisters, all in the course of five minutes. She clung tightly to him as Tony watched over them and Jimmy tried to tell her it would be alright.

The next day, ironically, was the prettiest day out of the entire trip. They were unloaded from the train and lined up quickly, no one wanting to risk another incident. Abby never let go of Tim's hand, and now and then a stray tear slipped down her face. She had yet to say a word.

They all stood side by side, waiting for people to pass them by. Tony watched couples come and go from the town hall they were standing in. He watched with interest as a tough-looking grey-haired man walked in with a red-headed woman. Something about them seemed different. They just seemed…right.

Jimmy turned to him and pointed at them. "Tony, did'ya see them?" he asked. Tony nodded. "That's them," he said with certainty. "They're gonna be our parents."

Sheriff Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his wife, Jenny, entered the town hall and were immediately greeted by the head caretaker.

"Sheriff Gibbs!" he said. "Welcome. If you have any questions about anyone, just ask. Other than that, you're free to talk to the kids," he said nervously.

Gibbs frowned. He knew the man was hiding something form him, and he wanted to figure out what. But he was distracted when he saw a little boy pointing at him.

"Jethro," Jenny said. "Did you see that little boy just now?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, sure did Jen."

"Why don't we go talk to them?" she asked, indicating him and the boys he was standing next to. They all seemed rather close. "We both know we won't be able to walk out of here with just one." She looked at him knowingly. They had decided together that they would adopt a child after trying for years to have their own and being unable to. Though neither would admit it, both of them were too kind to help only one orphan child. Neither of them did anything half way.

"Jimmy, you don't know that for sure," Tony said, though he did think the couple looked really nice. "Stop pointing."

"But Tony, it has to be them!" Jimmy said fiercely.

"Which ones? The woman with the red hair and the scary-looking man?" Tim asked, leaning over to look.

"Yeah, them!" Jimmy said.

"I think Jimmy's right," Tim said. "That _has _to be them. Look, Abby, do you see them?" Tim said, trying to show her.

Abby nodded, sniffling, but still didn't say anything.

"See, look, Tony, they're coming over here!" Jimmy said, pulling on his shirtsleeve. Tony, smiling sadly at the younger children's antics, nodded and decided to let them have their fantasies.

"I see, Jimmy. I see them," Tony said. "Now shh, and be polite!" he cautioned.

"Hello," Jenny said as she and Gibbs walked up to the children. "My name is Jenny and this is my husband, Jethro, but everyone calls him Gibbs."

"Good morning, ma'am," Tony said. "My name is Anthony, and these are my siblings, Timothy, James, and Abigail." Each boy waved when his name was called, but Abby remained clinging to Tim, staring at the adults with watery eyes.

"Well, Anthony it's nice to meet you," Jenny said. She faltered, not really sure what to say. "So, um, tell me about yourself. What are some things you like to do?"

"I don't really know. I guess I like sports and begin outside. Tim here likes to read a lot, and Jimmy just likes to walk around and see everything. Abby's more of a people person, she likes playing and making new friends. Well, usually," Tony said. "We're a pretty quiet bunch."

"Don't forget that Ms. Hastings at the orphanage called you incorrigible!" Tim said. Tony winced.

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that…"

Jenny laughed, and Gibbs smirked. "Why'd she call ya that?" Gibbs asked.

"Because Tony likes to play pranks!" Jimmy said. "Or at least, that's what Tim said. I didn't-" He stopped when Tim stepped on his foot and looked at him.

"Ow! Tim, why'd ya do that?" Jimmy asked, trying to hold his foot. He ended up tripping and crashing into Gibbs' legs. "Oh, s-sorry, sir," he said quickly, scrambling to get up. Tony shook his head and Tim laughed.

"That's alright, kid," Gibbs said. He turned and crouched down in front of Abby. "Hey there," he said. "Your big brother said that you like making new friends, and I've been looking for a friend. This lady right here," he nodded up at Jenny, "Is just plain crazy. Not my best option."

"Hey!" Jenny protested. "I am sane enough to know that you're the crazy one, Jethro."

Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "See, now she accuses nice, normal, sane people of being crazy. So, anyways, I was wondering, do you wanna be my friend?"

Abby just looked at him. For a long moment, she didn't do anything. And then, she jumped at him, wrapping him in a bone-crunching hug. He smiled and hugged her back. It was then he noticed Tony's nervous look. The boy looked like he was deciding whether or not to call Abby back to him and away from the adults.

Gibbs stood up slowly and glanced at Jenny, who nodded back at him. Jenny turned and smiled at the boys, who had both hope and fear shining in all of their eyes.

"How would your four like to come home with us?" she asked, breaking out into a grin.

**Alright, that ran on a bit longer than expected…sorry, I probably went waaay OOC and for that I would apologize but there's a whole rule against it…so yeah. Until next time, this is BA&A, signing out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, soooooo sorry for the long wait for an update. I went on a "rustic" camping trip and there was no internet. But, I **_**do **_**have the next few chapters written up. Just gotta type 'em and we'll be good! Thanks for all the reviews!**

** I got back and someone had anonymously given me a new goldfish. I've named him Jethro:)**

Jenny bit her lip as she waited for the children to reply. To be honest, they had already stolen her heart and she could see her husband adored them, too. She hoped they would say yes.

"Really?" Tony asked, hope coloring his voice. "All four of us?"

"All four of you," Gibbs said. "But we live on a working ranch, you'll all be expected to help out with chores."  
"Yes!" tony shouted. "Yes, yes, a billion times yes! We'll do every chores you give us and we'll be super good and behaved, I _promise_," Tony said. Grinning from ear to ear, he turned to his brothers. "Right, guys?"

"Definitely," Jimmy said.

"Yeah, anything!" Tim said. They both smiled brightly and jumped around.

"Thank you so, so, so much!" Tony said, hugging Jenny. Jenny smiled and hugged him back. Then, she turned to her husband, who was still holding little Abby.

"Do you think coming home with us sounds like a good idea?" she asked her.

After a long moment, Abby nodded, giving them a small smile. Jenny smiled back.

"Well lets go get everything sorted out and then we'll head home," she said. She took hold of Jimmy and Tim's hands and Gibbs carried Abby to the table where papers were being signed and children were officially being adopted. Gibbs took the children over to the side while his wife handled the paperwork. He wasn't great at all that stuff anyway. Taking a seat on a bench outside the courthouse, he sat Abby on his lap. Jimmy and Tim climbed up next to him on either side. Tony sat on the ground in front of them.

Staring into the distance and thinking too much, Tony suddenly extremely guilty. If he had somehow stopped those men from taking Kate and Ziva, everything would've worked out. They would've all been adopted, and Abby would still be as bubbly as she had been when he first met her. Ziva would've taught him how to flip a person over his shoulder like she had promised on the first night and Kate would've been smiling and laughing and being the big sister that everyone looked up to.

"Mister Gibbs, what's your ranch like?" Tim asked curiously, pulling Tony out of his thoughts.

"It's very big. We have hundreds of heads of cattle and lots of horses to ride and chickens and goats and a big German Sheppard named Jethro," he said.

"You have horses?" Tony asked. "What kinds?"

"Mostly Quarter horses, but we have a few mustangs as well, and a few other oddballs."

"Mustangs?" Tony asked, eyes growing bigger. "Wow."

"Mhm. And you'll all get to pick out a horse for yourselves."

"Really?" Tim said. "Our own horses?"

"Well living on a ranch, you're gonna need one, Tim," Gibbs said.

Tony sighed. Ziva had said she loved horses…

Half an hour later, Jenny came out of the courthouse waving the papers above her head. "It's official, you're stuck with us," she said with a grin. Tim and Jimmy started running around and cheering. Jenny and Gibbs laughed, watching them for a bit, before Gibbs stood up. "Come on, wagon's this way," he said, leading them over to the road.

Jenny stepped up onto the front seat and Gibbs handed Abby up to her. Then, he helped Tim, Jimmy, and Tony into the back of the wagon with all of their belongings. He was a bit surprised when he realized Abby had nothing with her but he shrugged it off and climbed into the driver's seat. With a flick of the reins, he set the horses off at a steady trot.

Jenny was surprised how right it felt to hold Abby in her arms. It was just like she imagined holding her own child would be.

She had been devastated when she and Gibbs made the decision to stop trying for their own child. But when she had heard from Ducky, a friend of theirs who ran the General store in town, that an orphan train was coming, she knew neither she nor Jethro would pass up the chance to help the homeless children. Sure, they had walked out with a bit more than they had bargained for, but when she saw the three boys talking animatedly behind her, she knew they had made the right choice.

As night finally fell, she felt Abby moving around. Looking down, she saw her sating up at the sky. "What's those lights?" Abby asked, pointing up to the star-filled sky.

"Those are stars, Sweetheart. Haven't you ever seen stars before?"

Abby shook her head. "They's pretty," she sighed dreamily. "I wanna show Timmy. Timmy!"

Tim came up behind them almost immediately. "What is it?" he asked. "Are you okay, Abs?"

"I'm okay. Look at those," Abby said, pointing upwards.

"Wow," Tim breathed. "They're amazing! Guys, come look at this!"

Tony and Jimmy also came up behind the front seat.

"Wow, look at all those stars," Jimmy said quietly. "Those are stars, right?"

"Yeah, they are," Tony said, smiling softly. "At least, that's what I remember them like."

"Tim, Jimmy, have you ever seen stars before?" Gibbs asked, stopping the wagon. Both boys shook their heads. "Tony?"

"A long time ago," Tony said. "But not like this. There's so many!"

"They's pretty," Abby sighed again.

Gibbs pulled the wagon off the road into a largo open field. Jenny looked at him, confused, when he climbed out of the wagon. "Everybody out," he said. "Time for a lesson on the stars." He helped everyone out of the wagon and unhitched the horses so they could wander for a bit. He had trained the well enough not to go far.

They laid out in the grass on a hill for hours, just staring up at the stars. Gibbs and Jenny pointed out all the constellations they knew and told the children the stories behind them, and the children in turn drank it all in in amazement. And for the first time, the three boys and one little girl felt like they really belonged.

When it was finally time to get back in the wagon, Abby and Jimmy had both fallen asleep. As they were climbing back into the wagon, Tim saw another wagon pass them, driven by a familiar face. He turned to Tony with wide eyes, and Tony stared back at him.

"Was that just-" he started to ask.

Tony nodded. "We have to save them," he said determinedly.

"Gibbs is the sheriff," Tim recalled. "He can help us. We have to tell him!"

"Tell me what?" Gibbs asked from the back of the wagon, where he and Jenny were standing, having heard the whole conversation.

Tony and Tim looked at each other nervously. Tony shook his head. The man said he'd shoot Kate and Ziva if they sent the law after him.

"Who did you just see?" Jenny asked gently. "We want to help you."

Tim gulped. "The man driving that wagon kidnapped two of our sisters from the train yesterday. He said he'd shoot them if anyone told the sheriff," he said. "Please, you gotta help us get them back."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, about the long update, I really just haven't had time to type it. Life is catching up and tackling me and I think it sent me rolling down a hill. Hopefully updates will become pretty regular from now on, but please bear with me if they're not.**

**I don't own NCIS. If I did, Jenny would be director, and not Vance the creepy dude…**

**But you really don't care what I do and don't own, so on with the important part:**

Tim winced as Tony glared at him, but he held his ground. "We need help, Tony. We're just kids, we can't do it alone."  
"But they said they'd kill them. We can't let them die!" Tony said.  
The two continued on like this for several minutes, going back and forth and both growing close to tears. They were too young to really understand the situation, just that someone was going to kill both Kate and Ziva if Gibbs went after the men that kidnapped them. They were scared, tired, and confused.  
"Boys," Gibbs said, stopping their fight. "I'm going to go after those men, and I'm going to bring your sisters back, okay?"  
"But-" Tony started.  
"No buts. I'll get 'em back, and that's a promise. I need you to stay here with Jenny until I come back." With that said, Gibbs stood up and walked towards the front of the wagon, unhitching the biggest of the horses, a black stallion, and jumping onto the horse's back.  
"That's Thunder, Jethro's horse. He's the ranch stallion," Jenny explained as Gibbs galloped away.  
"Ma'am, what if the bad guys kill Kate or Ziva when they see Mr. Gibbs coming?" Tim asked nervously.  
"Well Tim, that's the thing about Jethro. They won't know he's coming."

Kate glanced at Ziva, who lay unconscious next to her in the back of a big wagon. She didn't know where they were going, only that when she and Ziva had tried to escape, one of the men had hit Ziva on the head with his gun and now Ziva wouldn't wake up. She was pretty sire that was called being unconscious.  
The men were in the front of the wagon fighting. The two henchmen were seemingly unhappy with their portion of the money, but the ringleader wasn't budging. One of the men was mad that the ringleader had hurt Ziva, apparently the two lackeys just wanted to leave the girls by the tracks and let them go back to town. But the guy who was apparently in charge said that they were a "liability." She wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but she had a bad feeling that it wasn't good. They had been arguing since they left the train.  
Suddenly, the ringleader pulled out a gun. Kate screamed as two gunshots rang out, and the two men that had been kind of on her and Ziva's side fell off the wagon. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to forget where she was, but that was impossible. Pain shot through her head as someone pulled her up by her hair and threw her out of the wagon. Opening her eyes again, she was just in time to roll out of the way as Ziva came flying towards her. She cringed as Ziva hit the ground hard.  
"Alright, you little bitch," the man said. He kicked her in the ribs, which sent her flying across the hard packed dirt of the road. "Your ride is over." She moaned in pain as he kicked her again, and again. She didn't understand why he was mad at her, only that it hurt because he was. He just kept kicking her and hitting her over and over. As suddenly as they had begun, the blows stopped raining down on her.  
When she opened her eyes seconds later, she saw the man kicking Ziva. "Wake up, you stupid bitch!" He shouted at her. Ziva gave no response, and that only seemed to anger him more. He kicked her harder.  
"Stop it!" Kate groaned. "Stop, please! Don't hurt her!"  
"Shut up!" The man roared, not stopping in his assault on Ziva. Kate bit her lip, and tasted blood, but she said nothing for several minutes. But when she heard the sickening crunch of bones breaking in Ziva's body, she couldn't stay quiet.  
"Stop it, you monster! Why are you doing this?" She screamed.  
The man turned to her and grinned evilly, drawing a knife. "Why?" He hissed. "Because I'm angry. I was an orphan too. I never got a home. If I didn't, why should you?" He lunged at her, starting a whole new attack.

Gibbs was galloping after the other wagon when he heard the shots ring out. He spurred Thunder faster, hoping he wasn't already too late.

Ziva's eyes fluttered open and she took in the scene around her quietly. She couldn't remember what sound had woken her up from her unconscious state, until she heard it again. Screaming. Blinking several times to clear her head, she tried to figure out who was screaming.  
Looking to her left, she saw one of the men that had kidnapped them leaning over Kate, who was screaming. Ziva's mind snapped to attention when se realized it was Kate screaming. Her sister was being hurt, and she had to stop it. The question was how.

Kate cried out and tried to push herself away from the man as he made yet another cut on her arm with the now-red knife. Her mind was getting fuzzy, but every time she felt she would slip into the blackness, he made another mark and dragged her back to reality. She kept screaming and shouting, hoping someone would hear her. Hoping someone would help her.

Gibbs had been riding for almost twenty minutes when he heard the screaming. It was high-pitched and young sounding, and however morbid it sounded, he was glad that at least one of the girls had to be alive. He slowed Thunder to a steady walk and went until the screams sounded like they were coming from the cottonwood thicket right next to him. He dismounted and crouched low to the ground, creeping towards the sound.

Ziva glanced around her again, and saw a large tree branch lying on the ground several feet away. Silently, she stood up and grabbed it. If either Kate or the man saw her, they gave no indication if they did.

Gibbs stopped when he could see the man attacking one of the girls. He looked away for a moment to draw his gun, and when he looked back, another girl was right behind the man, a heavy-looking tree branch in her hand.

Kate saw movement behind the man, but her thoughts about whatever it was disappeared as he dug the knife into her arm.

Ziva raised the branch above and with all the strength left in her she brought it down towards the man's head, in the spot she had been trained to hit, letting out her own fierce cry as she did so. She watched as he fell on top of Kate, and stood panting for a moment before the blackness called her back to its depths. She dropped to the ground, exhausted.

Kate screamed as the man fell on top of her, limp, while another cry pierced the air. She screamed as she saw Ziva fall to the ground. And she screamed when another strange man burst into the clearing, holding a gun.

When he saw the smaller girl hit the attacker with the branch, Gibbs burst into the clearing, ready to shoot the man if he got back up. He didn't, and after kicking both the knife and gun away, he checked the man's pulse.  
He didn't know how, but the girl had killed her sister's attacker. Gibbs stared at her for a moment before turning to the other girl, who was staring at him with terrified eyes. He pushed the dead man off of her and knelt down where she could see him.  
"It's okay," he said gently. "You're safe now. Your brothers sent me. It' gonna be okay."  
"My b-brothers?" The girl coughed out. "How do you know them? How do I know you're t-telling the t-truth?"  
"I adopted them, all three of them, and your sister, too. Tim, Tony, Jimmy, and little Abby. They're back with my wife right now. I'm the sheriff 'round these parts. You're safe now. It's okay."  
"You s-said that, already," she said. He knew her brothers. They were adopted. Abby was safe. She sighed in relief.  
"Yeah, I know," he said with a small laugh. "Can you stand?"  
"I don't know," the girl admitted. "I'm Kate, by the way."  
"Well Kate, I'm Gibbs," he said. He stood up and helped her up. She was more than a bit unsteady, but with his help, he was able to get her to where Thunder stood waiting, not the least bit fazed by what was going on. Gibbs helped her up onto the horse, then returned for Ziva. When both girls were securely on the horse, he turned Thunder around and headed back the way he came, though at a much more controlled pace.  
This time, he had precious cargo on board.


End file.
